Daily Updates

[KellyD20Studios]

Royalty Enters Summoners Fate
We're so excited to reveal our newest and most royal members of Summoners Fate, Emperor Cosme and Empress Camille:



We took great care in creating the look for these two important characters. As the name "Summoners Fate" implies, themes of fate vs. free will is found throughout, especially the single-player campaign. We are still writing the story, but read the origins of Emperor Cosme in our first game, Hero Mages, here.

There are many nods to these themes in their looks. For example, both of their pendants are important. Emperor Cosme's incorporates a pair of scissors, a nod to the the Fates of Greek mythology, especially Atropos, who cuts the Thread of Life. Similarly, with Empress Camille, surrounding the orange gem in the middle is the Rota Fortunae, or Wheel of Fortune, that is found throughout history, and signifies the fickle nature of fate.

Can you find other symbolism in these characters? Do you think they have good or malicious intentions in Summoners Fate?


Kickstarter Update
Kickstarter Backers! Make sure to check your inboxes as Kickstarter Update #17 went out today, and has FAQs for the Early Access backers.

[KellyD20Studios]

Which Faction?
Here are 4 of many different playable factions/races in Summoners Fate. Which would you choose to play and why? 



Celestial Steampunk Timekeeper Rats
This Celestial faction turns the "dirty rats" game trope on its head. Now, meet our civilized and top-hatted faction that specialize in time spells!

The Withered's
This Void faction consists of dried-out husks of once thriving individuals that have been afflicted by blight. While the Withered's are technically alive, their physical form and spiritual energy has been depleted to the point of exhaustion, resulting in their wrinkled appearance. They are virtually blind and are driven to their targets by an innate hunger that can detect positive energy to absorb and sustain their being.

The Vampires
Joining the Withered's as a Void race, these blue-skinned undead are blood-thirsty, angry, and equipped with ancient bejeweled swords. They are fated to roam the Summoners Fate world and seek to add to their team with yours...

The Satyrs
New! These humanoid beasts - the Satyrs* - will be a Neutral faction (we will go into more detail soon about this faction). Here we have, from left to right, our Warrior Satyr, our Archer Satyr, and our Champion Satyr. Our goat creatures are our take on the ancient Greek and Roman mythologies surrounding these wildlings.


What do you think? Which would you like to play as?


*This race was first introduced as the Exclusive Sneak Peek from our monthly newsletter. Sign up for Volume #20 coming out May 2nd here.

[KellyD20Studios]

Sunday Squirrels!
Here's a clip showing our Druid in action. Sylvia has the power to hurl squirrels at her opponents and use Nature magic to transform them into formidable mutant creatures. She can also call upon the trees to fight for her, making short work of these poor Goblins.



Shout-out to Digital Blacksmith for conceiving this fantastic "Squirrel Deck."

[KellyD20Studios]

Nature Magic
In honor of Earth Day yesterday, today I'm doing a feature on our Nature spells.



Nature magic is associated with the life energy of plants and animals, evolution and survival of the fittest. Druids, elf mages, and orc shamans alike draw upon nature magic in various ways: sometimes calling upon the earth and vegetation itself and sometimes from their inner life force to augment natural fighting abilities to superior status. Nature spells include abilities to buff units power and life, mutate and transform beings into other creatures, animate and multiply life and heal and restore balance.

Here's a link to the video I posted yesterday with our Druid using the Nature deck to defeat the Goblins.

Characters pictured: Botanical Sage, Ant Warrior, and Giant Stag Beetle.

[KellyD20Studios]

Sneak Peak - Menu
Here's a sneak peak at some of the work-in-progress items at the "campfire site menu" we are developing for Summoners Fate:


The armor your see here belongs to 2 of our characters - can you guess which ones? 

Ross explains more about the campfire menu in his DevLog
here.

[KellyD20Studios]

Squirrel Hurlin'
Watch our Druid in action using her Squirrel attack power 


This is part of a longer video that involves casting Animal Growth card on the Squirrel - watch that video here.

[KellyD20Studios]

There is no Darkness without Light
We've discussed the dark and fear-based magic of the Void and the life energy of plants and animals with the Nature spells. Now, let's visit our Celestial magic.



Celestial Magic is associated with divine order, light, love, spiritual energy and the dimension of time. This magical energy is drawn from celestial beings and the existential ether that shapes and forms the basis of reality. Celestial spells include powerful healing and protection abilities, light energy that can banish demons of the Void and repel the destructive forces of Chaos, and the ability to control time itself.

Characters pictured: High Elf Warrior, Cleric, and Angel Warrior. Did you vote on her weapon in our vote a few months back? We plan for this sword to be a fire sword in game.

[KellyD20Studios]

More Factions!
Even more factions! Factions Friday?  Let's get started:



Elves
You've met our summoner, Albirich the Fighter Mage - a favorite from our first game Hero Mages. Now meet the new High Elf Wizard (left) and the High Elf Warrior (center). Read more about the Warrior's armor design here.

Demons
The stuff of nightmares! Meet our Demons, including our Demon Lord - with his mighty war hammer - as well as our Succubus and Incubus - with their crescent blade and double shotels, repectively.

Insectoids
They're creepy, crawly, and...actually, pretty cool! The Insectoid faction is comprised of many insect-humanoid hybrids that will bug your opponent on the battlefield. We've been creating some weapons for them as well, making them extra fierce on the battlefield. Here we have our Scorpion Wasp, Preying Mantis, and Bi-Ped Ant.




Have a great weekend!

[KellyD20Studios]

Progress on Campfire Menu
We recently featured some work-in-progress components of our campfire menu. Ross is continuing to work hard on creating the dynamic and unique menu experience for Summoners Fate:



Ross has been envisioning the menu for 2 years now. Since players in many games like this spend time in the menu building their teams, selecting campaigns, etc., he wanted to swap the traditional, by-the-book menu for something more charming and natural. The feeling of being part of a team that is coming together at a fire pit in a campsite really spoke to the adventurous atmosphere we're creating for Summoners Fate.

Once we have the art in place, animation and sound effects will be added.

Read more of Ross's DevLog on the campfire menu design here.

[KellyD20Studios]

Screenshot!
Here's a screenshot I took during some gaming with Ross last night. He was playing the deck called the Mindgamers (all Arcane characters that use the psychic and gravity spells) while I was playing the Skeleton Legion deck (chock-full of undead Void goodies!).



...and this would be just about the moment that things were definitely not looking good for Ross after casting "Skeleton Legion" 

[KellyD20Studios]

Newsletter Sign-Up
It's that time again!

Our monthly newsletter is going out on Wednesday, May 2nd. If you haven't already, do sign up now. You can click here to sign up directly or by visiting SummonersFate.com.



The Exclusive First Look in this issue will be one you won't want to miss

[KellyD20Studios]

Fire Examples
Here are some variations on our lingering fire that hits after fireball blast where we are attempting to improve the feel of particles and better match the more cartoon-like visual style of the game:


^{OoOoh, firey  ~said in Homer Simpson's voice}

Polishing is something we are constantly keeping an eye on as we develop Summoners Fate, but much of the "wow!" polishing will be coming as we get closer to launch 


Monthly Newsletter
Hi!



It's Kelly here, and I'm currently finishing up the monthly Newsletter - Volume #20 already! - that is hitting inboxes tomorrow. If you are interested, sign up here today.

[KellyD20Studios]

New Character - Cockatrice
We are excited to unveil a new mythical character, the Cockatrice. While this creature is lesser known than some of our other mythical units, we love it and had to include it as a playable character for Summoners Fate.



For those not familiar with the Cockatrice, it is said to have the body of a dragon (or sometimes a serpent) and the head of a rooster. Our Cockatrice will have the ability to fly over obstacles and characters, a strategic maneuver that can mean the difference between winning and losing a battle.


Newsletter Sent Out
Volume 20: Mastering Magic was sent out today. Make sure to check your Inboxes (including your Junk folder - even my copy goes there!) to see your newsletter and the exclusive first look video.

Didn't get a chance to sign up this month? Interested in receiving Volume 21 on June 6th? Sign up here or by visiting our website SummonersFate.com.

[KellyD20Studios]

New Video - Double Treant Combo
This clip is an example of how you can use Bonus Attacks to your advantage in game. Bonus Attacks trigger when an enemy unit is knocked into an ally. In this instance, since the Treants have Super Knockback - an ability that sends a character flying across the board up to 5 spaces - this fun game of "toss the Orc" is possible:


^{Little Orc hot potato...}

We usually post videos first on our YouTube channel - including some that are only posted there. If you haven't already, consider subscribing to our channel and hitting the Notification button to always know when there's a new SF video.


Throwback Thursday!
Ross dug up some old photos from the year 2000 of when he and I built a castle for our miniatures using cardboard, textured paint, and balsa wood. These miniatures were from Warhammer and Warhammer 40K and were all hand-painted by us. We do still have all our miniatures (plus many more we added to our collection), but sadly not the castle.

Any one else have collections of Warhammer, Reaper, or other miniatures? We'd love to see pictures! 

[KellyD20Studios]

Manipulate the Fabric of Existence
We've brought you Celestial, Nature, and Void magic features. Now let's deep dive into our Arcane magic, a favorite of those who enjoy mind games:


^{Characters pictured: Zenon the Arch Mage, Arcane Giant, and Ice Queen}

Arcane magic is associated with the fundamental forces that define reality including gravity, materialization, and psychic energy. Long ago, an ancient race left relics of ancient texts and technology scattered across the world. Many of these relics were collected by the wizards of the Academy of Arcane Arts, where they study and use them to manipulate the fabric of existence. Arcane spells include abilities such as the manipulation of gravity, creation of forcefields, psychic attacks, and control of positioning on the board.

Who else is an Arcane fan? When you play against Ross, he will likely be holding this deck in his hands!